Country name:

Republic of Lithuania

Capital:

Vilnius

Other large cities:

Kaunas (373,700), Klaipeda (191,600), Siauliai (132,700), Panevezys (118,800)

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Area:

65,200 sq km

Land boundaries:

1,273 km. Bordering countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Coastline:

99 km

Climate:

transitional, between maritime and continental, wet, moderate winters and summers

Terrain:

lowland, many small scattered lakes, fertile soil

Lowest point:

Highest point:

The Baltic Sea 0 m
Juozapines Hill 292 m

Population:

3,565,205

Ethnic groups:

Lithuanian 83.4 %, Polish 6.7 %, Russian 6.3 %, other or unspecified 3.6 %

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist)

Languages:

Lithuanian, Russian, Polish

Independence:

11 March 1990 (declared independence from the Soviet Union), 6 September 1991 (the Soviet Union recognized Lithuania's independence)

Constitution:

adopted on 25 October 1992

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Chief of state:

President Dalia Grybauskaite

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (called Seimas)

Industries:

refrigerators and freezers, furniture, optical equipment, metal-cutting machine tools, textiles, electric motors, television sets, petroleum refining, shipbuilding, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, electronic components, computers, amber

Agriculture:

potatoes, grain, vegetables, milk, beef, sugar beets, flax, eggs, fish

National holidays:

1 January: New Year's Day
16 February: Day of Reestablishment of the State of Lithuania (1918)
11 March: Day of Restitution of Independence of Lithuania (from the Soviet Union, 1990)
March-April (in accordance with the Christian calendar): Easter
1 May: International Labour Day
24 June: St John's Feast (Midsummer)
6 July: Statehood Day (Coronation of Mindaugas)
15 August: Assumption Day (Zoline)
1 November: All Saints' Day
25 December: Christmas Day

Currency:

Lithuanian Litas (LTL)

Fixed exchange rate:

1 EUR = 3.4528 LTL